County officials want local jobs at arts center project

Estimated cost between $7M and $7.4M

Feb. 16, 2013

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MILLVILLE — The creation of Millville’s Arts & Business Innovation Center is expected to bring jobs to the county residents. And if a proposal being pushed by county officials is approved, those jobs will start with the construction crews tasked with building the center.

Seeking to ensure employment for the area, county officials are hoping a project labor agreement, which would provide preference for local residents to be employed during the construction, will be formally agreed upon before building begins at the end of the year.

The project — estimated to cost between $7 million and $7.4 million — is being developed by the nonprofit Millville Urban Redevelopment Corporation, which plans to bring Cumberland County College in as a main tenant once construction is complete at the corner of the High and Vine street location. the college would lease the majority of the 30,000-square-foot property, and offer credit and non-credit courses at the facility.

“There’s a new attitude in Cumberland County that we’re going to ensure that our residents are the ones working on these projects first,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Doug Long. “You’re ensuring that the locals are building the project and being paid by this project which ultimately will allow them to spend their wage in our county economy.”

The project labor agreement is still in the discussion stage, according to Don Ayres, Executive Director for the Millville Urban Redevelopment Corporation.

A project labor agreement covers all aspects of a building project, including wages, overtime rules, grievances and shift schedules.

Critics of project labor agreements say the contracts drive up the costs of construction by reducing competition among project bidders, as well as increasing the duration of the construction.

Long said he disagrees and sees no downside to the contract. “I think once they’re knowledgeable about project labor agreements, they’ll realize that they don’t add to the costs,” he said. “The pay scale is exactly the same.”

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Ayres said he could not speculate on any potential negative effects of the project labor agreement, but said it will continue to be looked at as the project further develops.

Ayres said the priority at this point is to secure funding for the proposed three-story arts center before a decision can be reached on building contracts.

“Local residents working on the project is one that I think we’re generally in agreement with,” Ayres said Friday. “But if we don’t have the financing, nothing happens.”

Ayres stopped short of naming any of the potential funding partners, but said a few local banks and regional institutions have “progressed beyond a first look at it.”

Officials are hoping the facility will transform Millville’s Glasstown Arts District and bring new jobs and investments to the city and region by providing an influx of visitors, students and patrons for both the new arts center as well as the existing businesses, art galleries and other downtown establishments.

“We see students in the graphic arts, design, commercial art and other disciplines benefiting from internships with downtown merchants,” said Cumberland County College President Thomas Isekenegbe. “Studio projects could provide technical services to local businesses and students and graduates would find many outlets for their artistic skills that would benefit the community.”

Ayres said the project is estimated to create 400 new jobs over a ten-year period.

But while many new jobs will be created, officials are hoping to ensure that they are only offered to county residents.

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